Wofford drops heartbreaker in double overtime

Saturday

Nov 3, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 4, 2012 at 1:27 AM

Terriers fall 24-17 to Samford on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.

By TODD SHANESY todd.shanesy@shj.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — From upstairs in a building that overlooks an end zone side of Seibert Stadium, Wofford head coach Mike Ayers peered out a dusty window at a sea of red celebrating on the other side of the field.Samford players, coaches and fans were out there smiling and laughing and waving flags and having a noisy good time after a 24-17 double-overtime victory against the sixth-ranked Terriers, who could have won the Southern Conference championship.But where Ayers stood, it was deathly quiet.He rested an elbow on the windowsill and watched the festivity from afar.“That's tough to take,” he said. “That's real, real tough to take.”Wofford was a single play from clinching at least a share of the league championship not once, but actually four different times.Samford scored a touchdown as time expired in regulation. That was one.The Bulldogs were seemingly stopped on a 2-point conversion pass, but Wofford was called for a penalty. That's two.They made the retry, another pass, to tie the game. Three.And then the Terriers missed a field goal in the first overtime. Four chances to win it. But it was the Bulldogs who scored a touchdown in the second overtime, a 12-yard pass from Andy Summerlin to Kelsey Pope, to take the seven-point lead. On Wofford's turn, running back Cam Flowers, who had burst through the line and was fighting hard for every inch he could manage, fumbled the ball away and the defense recovered.Samford's sideline went wild and fans poured over a short brick wall and out on to the field.The Bulldogs (6-3, 4-3) not only prevented Wofford from celebrating a championship on their field but also kept their own hopes alive for a berth in the FCS playoffs. The Terriers (7-2, 5-2) can still win a share of the title and a postseason spot at home next week against Chattanooga. They have a chance because Georgia Southern (6-2) lost to Appalachian State (5-2).At the start of the first overtime, Wofford players heard the announcement of Appalachian State 31, Georgia Southern 28.“We tried not to think about what Georgia Southern was doing,” Wofford safety James Zotto said. “But when we heard that score, we were like, ‘OK. We can do this. We can do this.' ”Wofford's offense did next to nothing on its first four possessions of the second half, managing only 30 yards and never getting past its own 27. But the defense was holding a 10-9 lead, having forced Samford to settle for field goals on two trips inside the 10 and another to the 23.Finally, with 7:39 remaining, Wofford began to put something together. Eric Breitenstein squirted out of a pile and went 28 yards to midfield. The Terriers were seemingly stopped on third down but got new life on a facemask penalty.From there, it was seven straight handoffs to Breitenstein up the middle and he scored to make it 17-9 with 1:52 left on the clock.“We basically had one drive that was worth anything in the second half,” said Breitenstein, who finished with 168 yards. “It ended up not being enough. We just didn't do the job offensively. Our defense played great and kept us in it the whole game.”Breitenstein's 2-yard touchdown came about the same time as the score went final in Statesboro, Ga. The Terriers didn't know it yet, but they were 1:52 from a championship. Samford would have to go 72 yards in 1:45 after the kickoff and also make a 2-point conversion just to tie. Unlikely.But the Bulldogs did exactly that.With 13 seconds left, Summerlin threw an 18-yard pass to Riley Hawkins and his dive into the end zone was ruled just short. With four seconds left, Summerlin found Trett Hardman for the touchdown. Wofford linebacker Mike Niam knocked down the 2-point pass but was called for interference, making contact a split second too soon. Given another chance, Summerlin connected with Chris Cephus to force extra play.Wofford placekicker Kasey Redfern, who made a school-record 53-yard field goal at the end of the first half, missed a 33-yarder in overtime. But Samford's Cameron Yaw, who had been 3-for-3 on the day, missed from 34 and the two teams headed to double OT.“You'd like to have finished this one in a tie like the old days,” Ayers said. “But there are no more ties.”Instead, the Terriers now face a must-win situation in the home finale against Chattanooga not only for the conference championship, but likely for a playoff spot as well. With a loss, they would be 7-3 with one game remaining: At South Carolina.Chattanooga (5-4, 4-2), meanwhile, won Saturday at Western Carolina and could also stay alive for a share of the Southern Conference championship with Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, should the Mountaineers win at home against Furman. The Mocs finish Nov. 17 at home against Elon.“This one is over and the next one is the most important game of the season. There is no statement truer than that,” Ayers said. “It will mean a lot of things for us.”

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